Process Management and Organizational Structure in Large Brazilian Companies: Multiple Case Study

Abstract

The main proposition of this paper is to show how large Brazilian companies, the biggest in their sectors, address process management within the traditional organizational structures (functional, by product etc.), as well as advance in conceptual explanations for that which is found in the field. It is based on a bibliographical revision about processes and organizational structures and a group of six case studies, in a sample which is consistently defined, and with a structured survey protocol. The results presented in this paper are a part of a larger Research Project, initiated in 2011 and which should continue until the end of 2012. The cases describe the actual solutions that are being adopted by large Brazilian companies, as well as the motivations for these. The solutions can provide valuable insight for other large organizations.